UPDATE: Aiper Surfer S1 / M1 robot skimmer review

[JaySee]

Hey TFPers,

I haven't seen many reviews for this anywhere apart so I thought I'd put in my 2 cents on this new skimmer robot. Paid for it with real money from Amazon and i'm definitely not a 'free product' marketing shill.

My situation:
Neigbour's 80+ year old maple tree looms over the fenceline so it's a source of branches, leaves, caterpillars, even poor squirrels into our pool. So I've been looking at skimmer bots for a while now to take care of the various waves of detritus that get into pool over the course of the summer. We get direct blazing sun on the pool only for about 4-5 hours per day, so solar-only models didn't really fit my situation. The Aiper Surfer was chargeable via DC *and* solar panels, so i thought I'd be the guinea pig for this thing since Amazon Prime's return policy gives me an out if it's terrible.

The good:
- DC charging! It charges from zero-ish to 100 in roughly 3 hours.
- Solar charging seems efficient. It charges while running, and I noticed that the battery % indicator in the app was going up even while it was doing laps around the pool
- The app-- great to have. Shows battery life, temperature of the water, and offers full manual controls. But it *could* be better. (see below)
- Connects to your wifi and bluetooth so you could theoretically control it from the comfort of your home while looking out the window
- Build of the robot seems pretty solid. The body is obviously plastic, but feels comparable to the plastic used on Maytronic robots.

Ok, could be better:
- The app! Wish it had start/stop scheduling (that would be easy to program in the existing app), or could be integrated into a smart home ecosystem like Alexa or Google home. It already has the wifi connection so this should be a no brainer.
- Object avoidance-- works for the most part. For the first few minutes it crashes into everything but the sensors eventually find their bearings and avoids most things. Gets caught on the ladder but eventually bumps itself free. Gets caught in the skimmer so I've created those pool noodle bars for its sensors to detect.
- When stopped, small bits of junk tend to float back out of the basket... But i understand that's a common problem across all skimmer bot.

The not so good:
- Unsure about the potential lifespan of this machine. Already experiencing a weird bug where I turn off the robot and it randomly turns itself back on to standby mode. Sent a note to Aiper and they think it's a circuit problem and will send a replacement. Great, but reduces the confidence on the longevity of the electronics beyond 1 season and the 1 yr warranty.

Am I keeping it? Not sure. I'm hoping there's a software update with basic scheduling at the very least. It does what it's supposed to do pretty well, but I also don't want to own a brick within a season's time if the electronics / non-replaceable battery are flakey.

Can anyone speak to the longevity of Aiper products?

(*AFAIK S1 and M1 models are different only by their colour. I have the S1.)

 

[HermanTX]

Hey TFPers,

I haven't seen many reviews for this anywhere apart so I thought I'd put in my 2 cents on this new skimmer robot. Paid for it with real money from Amazon and i'm definitely not a 'free product' marketing shill.

My situation:
Neigbour's 80+ year old maple tree looms over the fenceline so it's a source of branches, leaves, caterpillars, even poor squirrels into our pool. So I've been looking at skimmer bots for a while now to take care of the various waves of detritus that get into pool over the course of the summer. We get direct blazing sun on the pool only for about 4-5 hours per day, so solar-only models didn't really fit my situation. The Aiper Surfer was chargeable via DC *and* solar panels, so i thought I'd be the guinea pig for this thing since Amazon Prime's return policy gives me an out if it's terrible.

The good:
- DC charging! It charges from zero-ish to 100 in roughly 3 hours.
- Solar charging seems efficient. It charges while running, and I noticed that the battery % indicator in the app was going up even while it was doing laps around the pool
- The app-- great to have. Shows battery life, temperature of the water, and offers full manual controls. But it *could* be better. (see below)
- Connects to your wifi and bluetooth so you could theoretically control it from the comfort of your home while looking out the window
- Build of the robot seems pretty solid. The body is obviously plastic, but feels comparable to the plastic used on Maytronic robots.

Ok, could be better:
- The app! Wish it had start/stop scheduling (that would be easy to program in the existing app), or could be integrated into a smart home ecosystem like Alexa or Google home. It already has the wifi connection so this should be a no brainer.
- Object avoidance-- works for the most part. For the first few minutes it crashes into everything but the sensors eventually find their bearings and avoids most things. Gets caught on the ladder but eventually bumps itself free. Gets caught in the skimmer so I've created those pool noodle bars for its sensors to detect.
- When stopped, small bits of junk tend to float back out of the basket... But i understand that's a common problem across all skimmer bot.

The not so good:
- Unsure about the potential lifespan of this machine. Already experiencing a weird bug where I turn off the robot and it randomly turns itself back on to standby mode. Sent a note to Aiper and they think it's a circuit problem and will send a replacement. Great, but reduces the confidence on the longevity of the electronics beyond 1 season and the 1 yr warranty.

Am I keeping it? Not sure. I'm hoping there's a software update with basic scheduling at the very least. It does what it's supposed to do pretty well, but I also don't want to own a brick within a season's time if the electronics / non-replaceable battery are flakey.

Can anyone speak to the longevity of Aiper products?

(*AFAIK S1 and M1 models are different only by their colour. I have the S1.)

Thanks for the review. There is an active thread on the Aiper Scuba bot which discusses some of the concerns you have on the skimmer bot. Aiper Scuba S1 Review

 

[JaySee]

Quick update:

Returned the faulty power switched S1 to Amazon, and bought the M1-version for $100+ cheaper at Rona ,which has a 90 day return policy. The only difference between the S1 and M1 is the colour (dark grey vs white).

The M1 so far has had no problems. Everything works accordingly-- has the same object avoidance quirks as the previous S1 (bumps into everything for a while and then gradually sorts itself out), but all the buttons are all functioning as they should.

If your pool doesn't get full sun through the entire day, this plug-in/solar hybrid seems to do the trick. So far I've only had to plug it in once for its initial charge but we've luckily not had an overcast day for the last week. Despite its random swimming pattern it really does pick up a lot of Crud that gets blown into the pool, purely by luck I guess!

 

[Diver_]

I've got the M1 model and the thing keeps bumping itself endlessly in my stairs until the batteries run out unless I push it away. I am not sure why but I suspect that the color grey of my stairs don't register as an obstacle. It doesn't get grounded on the steps in the stairs and I tried with or without the extended plastic legs. It bumps against the step, turns a bit and goes forward, bumps again, turns a bit where it came from and goes forward again, never simply doing a 180 back to somewhere else in the pool. Absolutely useless.

 

[JaySee]

I've noticed that the weight distribution of the robot makes the rear sink a bit lower than the front, meaning the obstacle avoidance sensors are pointing slightly upwards. Which is perhaps why it doesn't see your stairs. Maybe try jamming a pool noodle across the stairs at sensor height?

 

[Transient]

We have a lot of tiny bugs (no-see-ums?) that pass through our manual pole skimmer's net. I did find a fine handheld net which does the job, but it takes forever to do the entire pool.

Do you have a sense of whether or not this robot would skim off tiny bugs too?

Also, I'm curious what you paid at Rona. Do these things go on sale?

 

[JaySee]

We get waves of winged ant-sized insects divebombing into the pool en masse overnight. The robot is able to skim all those away. Not sure how tiny your bugs are and if they'd pass through the skimmer's fine mesh, but if you can figure that out within the store's return window there shouldn't be much risk.

Rona had it at $549 CDN at the time of my purchase (it's $579 now), and I applied a $50 coupon that appeared on their site around Father's day for a any purchase over $500. So $499 pre-tax. Amazon currently has the grey version for "limited deal" $551 pretax. Best Buy marketplace has it for $540. Seafood pricing, I guess!

 

[Buggs]

Just ordered the Surfer M1 model direct from Aiper. Current sale price is $379.98, but I got a $30 discount for registering for their site. Out-the-door was $349.98 - no shipping, no tax.

The S1 version is also on sale for $399.99.

 

[Bill Winston]

Just ordered the Surfer M1 model direct from Aiper. Current sale price is $379.98, but I got a $30 discount for registering for their site. Out-the-door was $349.98 - no shipping, no tax.

The S1 version is also on sale for $399.99.

just checking in a couple months later - How did the surfer M1 work out? Still working? Does the solar charge it enough to work for a few hours a day?

 

[Buggs]

Hi Bill. The unit had an infant mortality at 3 weeks. I posted about it here. Aiper Customer Service was responsive and quickly determined that I needed a replacement. After I shipped it pre-paid, Aiper cross-shipped a new unit to me. It arrived Oct 4 - four days after my shipment - and has been running fine since then - just over 5 weeks now. I just finished closing my pool today (very late - long story) and now have the M1 stored in the heated garage. You are not supposed to expose it to freezing temperatures.

Year-round, the pool gets shade for much of the day from tall surrounding trees. This time of year, the sun is low in the sky and the days are pretty short, so not good for a solar-powered device. I've been charging the M1 in the evening and then let it run through the night and into the next day. If it's sunny, it will continue to run through the day with a low charge until I take it out of the pool to recharge it. More recently, it has been dropping into low-battery "Intermittent" mode about mid-morning and after that, doesn't receive enough solar charge to resume normal operation.

My built-in pool skimmer works fine for most of the year, but leaf-season is a challenge. In the past, after I installed my autumn leaf-guard, keeping the pool clear for swimming required persistent attention. The Surfer M1 definitely made that job easier. I will likely use it only during the fall. I am happy with it so far, and if it works for three seasons, I'll say it was worth the expense.

In spite of Aiper's recommendation to the contrary, this skimmer does work on my negative edge pool. When it maneuvers itself into the edge, the above-water sensors obviously cannot detect it and it stops there, forlornly pushing into the wall for 3 or 4 minutes. After finally realizing it's stuck, it backs off, turns and continues on it's way. An underwater wall sensor would be welcome in the future, but for now, this works for me.

One improvement I'd like to see: If someone made a skimmer that cleared the stuff that floats right next to the pool wall, I'd be first in line to try it out. Or, more likely second in line - right behind Katodude.

 

[Bill Winston]

Hi Bill. The unit had an infant mortality at 3 weeks. I posted about it here. Aiper Customer Service was responsive and quickly determined that I needed a replacement. After I shipped it pre-paid, Aiper cross-shipped a new unit to me. It arrived Oct 4 - four days after my shipment - and has been running fine since then - just over 5 weeks now. I just finished closing my pool today (very late - long story) and now have the M1 stored in the heated garage. You are not supposed to expose it to freezing temperatures.

Year-round, the pool gets shade for much of the day from tall surrounding trees. This time of year, the sun is low in the sky and the days are pretty short, so not good for a solar-powered device. I've been charging the M1 in the evening and then let it run through the night and into the next day. If it's sunny, it will continue to run through the day with a low charge until I take it out of the pool to recharge it. More recently, it has been dropping into low-battery "Intermittent" mode about mid-morning and after that, doesn't receive enough solar charge to resume normal operation.

My built-in pool skimmer works fine for most of the year, but leaf-season is a challenge. In the past, after I installed my autumn leaf-guard, keeping the pool clear for swimming required persistent attention. The Surfer M1 definitely made that job easier. I will likely use it only during the fall. I am happy with it so far, and if it works for three seasons, I'll say it was worth the expense.

In spite of Aiper's recommendation to the contrary, this skimmer does work on my negative edge pool. When it maneuvers itself into the edge, the above-water sensors obviously cannot detect it and it stops there, forlornly pushing into the wall for 3 or 4 minutes. After finally realizing it's stuck, it backs off, turns and continues on it's way. An underwater wall sensor would be welcome in the future, but for now, this works for me.

One improvement I'd like to see: If someone made a skimmer that cleared the stuff that floats right next to the pool wall, I'd be first in line to try it out. Or, more likely second in line - right behind Katodude.

Hi Bill. The unit had an infant mortality at 3 weeks. I posted about it here. Aiper Customer Service was responsive and quickly determined that I needed a replacement. After I shipped it pre-paid, Aiper cross-shipped a new unit to me. It arrived Oct 4 - four days after my shipment - and has been running fine since then - just over 5 weeks now. I just finished closing my pool today (very late - long story) and now have the M1 stored in the heated garage. You are not supposed to expose it to freezing temperatures.

Year-round, the pool gets shade for much of the day from tall surrounding trees. This time of year, the sun is low in the sky and the days are pretty short, so not good for a solar-powered device. I've been charging the M1 in the evening and then let it run through the night and into the next day. If it's sunny, it will continue to run through the day with a low charge until I take it out of the pool to recharge it. More recently, it has been dropping into low-battery "Intermittent" mode about mid-morning and after that, doesn't receive enough solar charge to resume normal operation.

My built-in pool skimmer works fine for most of the year, but leaf-season is a challenge. In the past, after I installed my autumn leaf-guard, keeping the pool clear for swimming required persistent attention. The Surfer M1 definitely made that job easier. I will likely use it only during the fall. I am happy with it so far, and if it works for three seasons, I'll say it was worth the expense.

In spite of Aiper's recommendation to the contrary, this skimmer does work on my negative edge pool. When it maneuvers itself into the edge, the above-water sensors obviously cannot detect it and it stops there, forlornly pushing into the wall for 3 or 4 minutes. After finally realizing it's stuck, it backs off, turns and continues on it's way. An underwater wall sensor would be welcome in the future, but for now, this works for me.

One improvement I'd like to see: If someone made a skimmer that cleared the stuff that floats right next to the pool wall, I'd be first in line to try it out. Or, more likely second in line - right behind Katodude.

Awesome to hear. I got mine today - charged it to 84 percent and lost patience and dropped it in the pool. It charged to 99 percent quickly - even though the pool was in the shade (sunny day but no direct sunlight). Sun went down 6.5 hrs ago and it’s still showing 49% on the battery.

I noticed it didn’t get too close to the walls and was thinking - that’s where all the junk is - bummer. My pool is small and irregular shaped so it’s always turning which works great for pushing the stuff off the wall and it grabs it later. It even picked up the very small bugs and tiny dirt particles that blow on the surface.

My pool stays open all year and it will be interesting to see how the battery works in the cold (not freezing).

I also got the scuba m1 not the pro. It worked great for three hours - pool spic and span.

Cheers and thanks for the update. Like you I would be glad to get 2-3 years - at $720 for both I won’t be too heart broken if they die an early death. Better than watching my Polaris 280 get stuck and dump a 100 gallons out of the pool day after day lol.